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Learning to Embrace Mystery

About Us

I’m not a big fan of surprises; I would rather know something in advance than have something sprung on me at the last minute. When I was younger, I would sneak into my parents’ room before Christmas and root through their closet to find the presents they had bought for me. I didn’t want to be surprised on Christmas morning, I wanted to know all that could be known.

What are you like when it comes to a surprise or a mystery?

  1. When you encounter an unexpected change to your schedule, do you:
  • Go with the flow. Life is filled with unknowns. Who needs a plan?
  • Ask a few questions, come up a new plan, and then move forward?
  • Complain, become inflexible, and stick to the original plan?
  1. When planning your next vacation, do you:
  • Buy an open-ended ticket, arrive at the destination, and make plans up as you go?
  • Buy a return ticket, book the hotel in advance, but allow some room for spontaneity?
  • Write your name in your underwear, draw up a detailed itinerary for each day, and never, under any circumstances, deviate from the plan? Fun = Accomplishing the Plan.
  1. It’s your birthday and you’re turning 25, or 50, or 70. You walk in the front door to discover that a surprise party has been thrown for you. Do you:
  • Gush with delight, work the room, and tell everyone that this is the best birthday ever?
  • Momentarily exhibit shock, take a couple of deep breaths, and then begin to have fun?
  • Turn around and walk out the door?

Some of us have more capacity for surprise than others, but one thing is certain: the Incarnation was a surprise that unveiled a mystery.

Listen to the words of Paul, found in 1 Corinthians 2:6-10.

 “6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him—10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.”

In the biblical way of thinking, a mystery is not a secret to be kept, but rather, something that God has not yet revealed. And because God is infinite, we cannot unravel the mystery of God from our end of things; only God can reveal God.

Thomas Torrance writes, “In Jesus Christ, the Son of God took our human nature upon himself and made it his own so completely that he came among us as man; and by what he was as man, he revealed to us what he was and is as God.”[1]

By becoming human, without ceasing to be God, Jesus took our broken, sinful humanity upon Himself, and in the power of the Spirit lived a vicarious human life – the One for the many. By becoming human, without ceasing to be God, Jesus became both Priest and Sacrifice.

All of humanity’s hopes – for peace with God and one another, for forgiveness, for healing, for wholeness – have been fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ. The life He lived, He lived for us; the death He died, He died for us. One author writes, “Born in a stable, wriggling in straw, [He was] fully committed to life in the raw…To a world in need He did not send another, God the Son became God our Brother.”[2]

Perhaps in recent weeks you’ve been brought face to face with the unexpected – you’ve been surprised by something (either good or bad). You may find yourself in the middle of a mystery; you don’t understand what’s happening or why.

In the Incarnation we discover that God can be found in the most unlikely and unexpected places. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus we discover that something good and beautiful can come from pain and loss. If this is true, then surely Jesus can work all things for our good, even the painful things in our lives. When we look to Jesus, we see God as He is: a faithful, merciful, loving God.

In this Advent season, may God give you – and your church – a fresh revelation of the Living Christ.

Grace and peace to you,

Mark

[1] T.F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith, 55.
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpu3v5uxZTY

Carmen Kinniburgh

District Children’s Ministry Partner

Children’s ministry involves developing leaders, discipling children and families, exercising creativity, with an emphasis on fun and building relationships that help others to experience God’s love as they are loved by people who know God’s love. Carmen has served in children’s ministries as a volunteer, coordinator, curriculum writer, camp speaker, and pastor. Her desire in ministry and life is to help others (whether they be children, youth, or adults) to hear God’s voice and to experience the freedom and fullness of love found in knowing Jesus and living kingdom lives. Whether your children’s ministry is led by volunteers or a pastoral leader, Carmen would love to connect, build networks, support, resource, pray with, and provide care in whatever areas are needed.

Carmen lives in Vernon with her husband, Jeremy, and their two teenage kids. She loves playing soccer, hiking, camping, and theatre. She and Jeremy have founded two new ministries called Threshold Initiatives and Contributing Pastor.

Terry Ann Opperman

Official Worker

David has served at Lakewood Alliance Church since the fall of 2002, first as an associate, then as Lead Pastor starting in November 2005. David has been on various committees including DEXCOM, District Nominating Committee, a few General Assembly Committees, and the Rules Committee for District Conference. David has an interest in church governance and seeing healthy leaders serving on healthy boards in order to better equip and serve the church.

David and Tara are in the process of launching their three young adult sons and enjoy seeing the trajectories their lives are taking. David enjoys woodwork and getting out cross-country skiing in the winter.

Steve Schneider

Lay Person

Steve is a layperson and a member of Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey. He has been married to his wife Brenda since 1984. They have two adult daughters. He is an engineer by background and holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. He works in the paper industry and is also the President of SGS Consulting Ltd. He has recently become a licensed worker in the CPD.

Steve has served in varied ways over the years but has more recently been focussed on church board work. He served on his first church board 36 years ago. Since that time, he has served on four different church boards and the District Executive Committee of the CPD. Over the last 12 years Steve has actively been teaching and consulting with church and not-for-profit boards within and outside of The Alliance Canada to help them develop healthy governance practices.

Keith Cheung

English Lead Pastor at Burnaby Alliance Church

Keith was also an active member at Westside Calgary Chinese Alliance Church before moving to Vancouver to begin full-time pastoral ministry. After a brief stint pastoring in a church from another denomination, Keith began serving as the English Lead Pastor at Burnaby Alliance Church in 2017 where he continues to serve today.

Keith is married to Cecelia (20 years this year!) and they are raising 2 beautiful daughters (11 and 6) who they adopted from Taiwan and Korea respectively. He loves, in no particular order, cooking and eating and conversations, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, road cycling, family reunions, and good movies and music.

Carol Goh

District Chaplains Committee Chair

carol@mycac.ca

Carol Goh has chaired the District Chaplains Committee and served on the Association for Alliance Chaplains (AAC) National Committee since 2018. She completed her Masters degree in Chaplaincy in Spiritual Care from Trinity Western Seminary and is the Neighborhood Chaplain and Pastor for Seniors at Chilliwack Alliance. As a chaplain, Carol invests in the neighborhood (parish) around the church through connecting with those who live, work, and go to school there. She intentionally supports the local public elementary school and other local organizations so that together they can weave together the fabric of care for the inhabitants. The Goh household includes her husband Andrew, their three teenage sons, Andrew’s mother, and their golden doodle.

David Driedger

Board Leadership Training Partner

dave@lakewoodalliance.com

David has served at Lakewood Alliance Church since the fall of 2002, first as an associate, then as Lead Pastor starting in November 2005. David has been on various committees including DEXCOM, District Nominating Committee, a few General Assembly Committees, and the Rules Committee for District Conference. David has an interest in church governance and seeing healthy leaders serving on healthy boards in order to better equip and serve the church.

David and Tara are in the process of launching their three young adult sons and enjoy seeing the trajectories their lives are taking. David enjoys woodwork and getting out cross-country skiing in the winter.

Daren Wride

Transitional Pastors Network Coordinator

dwride@shaw.ca

Daren Wride has been serving in transitional roles since 2011. He has been on the ground as Transitional Pastor in multiple churches around the province and has engaged as a Transitional Coach with several other churches. Prior to his transitional work, Daren pastored three churches in Alberta and BC for a total of nearly 20 years. Daren has also spent time in the professional speaking and internet marketing worlds and usually has a related project on the go.

Geoff Stewart

District Youth Ministry Partner

geoffs@peaceportalalliance.com

Youth ministry is among the most demanding ministries in the church from a relational standpoint, serving young people who are defining the ever changing culture we live in. Leading in youth ministry is best not done alone, and Geoff desires to help our youth pastors serve and encourage one another through the sharing of resources, wisdom, experience, and perspective. In the ever-changing world of today’s high school student, it is vital for us as youth pastors to be changing with them to understand the world they are navigating and share with them the life changing truth of the Gospel.

Geoff has been a youth pastor for 6 years at Peace Portal Alliance Church and volunteered for 10 years before that in the same church. He is passionate about seeing young people transformed by Jesus and becoming leaders in their school and community. He and his wife Lavonne live in South Surrey with their cats Norman and Puff Daddy.

Andy Lambkin

Team Lead - Property Development & Nest Housing Society

andy.lambkin@gmail.com

Andy wears two hats in the Canadian Pacific District. He serves as our New Venture implementer, helping new communities of faith emerge across our province, and he also leads the Nest housing Society, a non-profit affordable housing society working with local churches to utilize their land for social good while fulfilling critical ministry priorities. If you have questions about either of these areas, please reach out.

Personally, Andy is married to Jolie and they have four kids. Residing in North Vancouver, they call simplechurches, a network of house churches, their church home.

Carmen Kinniburgh

District Children’s Ministry Partner

cekinniburgh@gmail.com

Children’s ministry involves developing leaders, discipling children and families, exercising creativity, with an emphasis on fun and building relationships that help others to experience God’s love as they are loved by people who know God’s love. Carmen has served in children’s ministries as a volunteer, coordinator, curriculum writer, camp speaker, and pastor. Her desire in ministry and life is to help others (whether they be children, youth, or adults) to hear God’s voice and to experience the freedom and fullness of love found in knowing Jesus and living kingdom lives. Whether your children’s ministry is led by volunteers or a pastoral leader, Carmen would love to connect, build networks, support, resource, pray with, and provide care in whatever areas are needed.

Carmen lives in Vernon with her husband, Jeremy, and their two teenage kids. She loves playing soccer, hiking, camping, and theatre. She and Jeremy have founded two new ministries called Threshold Initiatives and Contributing Pastor.